Figuring out your fitness level is quite crucial. Measuring your fitness gives you an idea of how well you are in terms of fitness. It is crucial to maintain fitness so your body can function properly.
You can measure your fitness by your BMI or heart rate. Another way to measure fitness is by measuring your aerobic capacity. The term aerobic indicates when your body uses oxygen to generate energy.
You are constantly using oxygen to create energy for your body. However, fitness depends on how efficiently you utilize oxygen. This article will give you an idea about aerobic capacity and how to increase it.
What Does Aerobic Capacity Mean?
As mentioned before, your body uses oxygen to power body to do your daily tasks. During exercise, when you breathe in oxygen. This oxygen travels through your lungs and then your blood vessels. The blood vessels use oxygen to create oxygenated blood.
The oxygenated blood travels to your heart and then transfers to your muscles and tissues. The muscle and tissues use the oxygenated blood for their functionality. Moreover, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is formed when oxygen is mixed with your blood. Your muscles require this chemical to power them.
Aerobic capacity indicates the amount of oxygen your muscles can use efficiently during exercises. This capacity can be increased by training yourself by doing these exercises. Your aerobic capacity also indicates how well is your cardiorespiratory health.
What Are The Ways Of Measuring Aerobic Capacity?
There are two mainstream methods of measuring aerobic capacity. Measuring your aerobic capacity will give you an idea about your position if you are looking to improve your endurance.
Firstly, if you want an accurate reading, you should opt for indirect calorimetry. You will be asked to wear a mask during the procedure. The mask will measure your breathing while you exercise. Usually, the exercises are high-intensity aerobic workouts like a treadmill. You can get this test done at your nearest sports center or hospital.
Secondly, another easier option is to invest in fitness wearable watches or Fitbit. These fitness wearables do not give an accurate reading; instead, they give an estimated value. These calculations are based on heart rate, weight, and age.
What Are The Benefits Of Aerobics Capacity?
There are several benefits of training yourself to increase your aerobic capacity. People train themselves to increase their aerobic endurance for a better lifestyle.
Firstly, when your aerobic capacity is increased, your stamina is also increased. You will have more energy to spare to perform more efficiently during workout sessions. Athletes train themselves to increase their aerobic capacity to increase their life. Moreover, you will also feel more energetic because your body uses oxygen efficiently.
Secondly, working out and improving your aerobic capacity also helps you to improve your health conditions. Health complications like high cholesterol can be easily tamed with aerobic exercises. Moreover, you can maintain healthy blood pressure and blood sugar as well.
Lastly, if you are looking to maintain a healthy weight, then aerobic exercises are perfect. Aerobic exercises will improve your aerobic capacity. As a result, you will be energized to do more workouts.
What Are The Ways To Increase Your Aerobic Capacity?
Running
Running is a common form of increasing your aerobic capacity. When you run, your body is intaking oxygen to fuel your muscles. Training yourself to run more effectively can increase your aerobic capacity easily.
You can do sprint intervals for effective results. In sprint intervals, you have to run intensely for 30 seconds to 1 minute and then give your body to recover by jogging slowly.
During sprint interval training, it is crucial to give your body recovery time. This allows your body to prepare itself to continue giving its maximum effort. Repeating this allows you to train your aerobic capacity effectively.
High-Intensity Interval Training
High-intensity interval training or HIIT workouts mostly focus on intense workouts for a short time. The main focus of these exercises is to utilize 80-90% of your heart rate for short bursts.
HIIT workouts are very effective when it comes to building up your endurance and increasing your stamina. According to studies, it is evident that your aerobic capacity can increase by more than 40% if you consistently train yourself for more than six months.
Steady-State Training
If you are a beginner and HIIT workout feels overwhelming, steady-state training may be the way to go. Steady-state training indicates an aerobic workout that you do for an extended period but at the same intensity.
Suppose, you can use the treadmill for 30 to 60 minutes at a very low intensity. The aim is to use below 80% of your heartbeat. This will take more time to improve your aerobic capacity, but it is still effective.
Cross-Training
Cross-training is another way to improve your endurance. Cross-training is coming up with a workout routine with a mix of HIIT workouts and steady-state training.
You can try doing a HIIT workout one day, and then the next day, you can go slow by doing steady-state training. This allows variation in your workout, and it is the perfect combination for beginners.
Dance/Zumba Classes
Dance and Zumba classes are a fun way to improve your endurance. The intense dance and Zumba move allows you to use oxygen effectively. As a result, it increases your stamina and energy.
Many women enroll in these aerobic classes instead of doing a full workout. You can benefit from the same results over time which is to increase the aerobic capacity.
Conclusion
Aerobic capacity improvement is crucial if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Increasing your endurance will allow you to maintain your weight and fight health complications like diabetes. Following the methods of aerobic training will allow you to elevate your endurance.
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